Colored fountains



. 6, 1955 J. E. BARBER COLORED FOUNTAINS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. 20

EGAZ

JOHN 6'. 6172359,

INVENTOR.

' 19-55 J. E. BARBER COLORED FOUNTAINS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 20,1951 JOHN 5. 5 76559,

NVENTOR.

J. E. BARBER COLORED FOUNTAINS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 20, 1951 JOHN5 5149559 INVENTOR.

' United Statesv Patent COLORED FOUNTAINS John E. Barber, NorthHollywood, Calif.

Application October 20, 1951, Serial No. 252,379

7 Claims. (Cl. 29 9-4 This invention relates to ornamental colored.fountains and has as its prime object the provision of a novel, andornamental colored fountain adapted for use in parks, gardens,courtyards and the like.

Heretofore the colored illumination of ornamental fountains has beenlimited to the successive fading-in and fading-out of dilferentlycolored flood lights directed towards said fountain. The area solelysubject to a single one of these flood lights exhibits the color. ofthat light. The area where these lights overlap exhibits a compoundcolor produced by the mixture of the colors of the overlapping lights.This type of colored flood lighting for fountains has been widely usedand has great aesthetic merit. As in all artistic displays, however,there is a constant demand for new techniques.

It is accordingly another object of this invention to provide a methodand apparatus for introducing color into a fountain which is distinctlydifferent from the floodlighting technique above mentioned and whichwill produce a distinctly different kind of manifestation of color in afountain.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ornamental coloredfountain and method of producing the same in which diiferent areas ofsaid fountain which are located at successively greater distances fromthe source of the fountain exhibit distinctly different colors in asubtantially constant pattern.

A still further object of the invention is to provide such a coloredfountain and method in which a substantially constant color pattern isexhibited, yet in which this pattern has a movement perceptible to theobserver in which the various succession of colored areas in the patterntravel in a given direction.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing objects,

as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in thefollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsin which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a preferredembodiment of the invention discharging continuously a spiral stream ofwater, this view illustrating the shape assumed by said stream at agiven instant in the operation of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic elevational view similiar to Fig. 1 with thefountain of the invention producing a spiral stream of water in the samemanner as shown in Fig. 1, but illustrating the optical illusion whichis created for the observer by the play of lights from said fountain onsaid spiral stream.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the fountain shown in Fig. 1 andtaken on the line 3-3 therein.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 4--4 ofFig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view taken on the line '5-5 of Fig. 4. v

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6of Fig. 4. v Fig. 7 is a wiring diagram ofthe invention.

Fig. 8 shows a modified drive system of the invention.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the invention is there shown asembodied in an apparatus 9 (Fig. 4) for performing the method of theinvention to produce a colored fountain 10 (Fig. 2). Apparatus 9includes a housing 11, a circular upperwall 12 of which has a downwardlyextending peripheral flange 13 providing lugs 14 to which a bottomhousing wall 15 is secured as by screws 16. The apparatus 10 issupported by legs 17 fixed on the wall 15 and extending downwardlytherefrom.

The upper wall 12 of the housing 11 has a central opening 18 awater-tight covering of which isprovided by a window 19 formed of clear,transparent glass or plastic material which is held in place by amounting ring 20 secured to the upper face of the wall 12. Mountedconcentrically on the wall 12 and extending upward therefrom is a lightstack 25. This stack hasa 'water drainage hole 26 provided therein nearits lower end, and a hole 27 which is disposed opposite a slide aperture28 provided in a pitman guide plate 29 which is secured to the outerface of the stack 25.

Fixed in an upper portion of the stack 25 is a nozzle supporting spider31 having a central ring 32 which snugly receives a rubber packer 33into which is upwardly inserted a tubular nozzle 34 the lower end 35 ofwhich is bent laterally to connect with a flexible hose 36 which extendsoutwardly through a hole 37 in the stack 25. Integrally connected withthe nozzle 34 is a rod 33 which is axially aligned with said nozzle andhas spaced collars 39 and 40 on its lower end. Surrounding the rod 38between the collars 39 and 40 so as to be retained on said rod is apitman head 41, this being mounted on one end ofa'pitman 42 whichextends outwardly through holes 27 and 28 (Figs. 4 and 5) and has asimilar pitman head 43 mounted on its outer end.

Supported as by a bracket 44 on an outer face of th stack 25 in avertical radial plane of the stack containing the hole 28 is an electricmotor 45, the shaft 46 of which extends downwardly and is provided witha collar 47 having a crank pin 48 .which pivotally receives the pitmanhead 43 which is retained in place thereon by a head 49 on said pin. Itis thus seen that when the motor 45 is energized the collar 47 isrotated which reciprocates the pitman 42 in the guide 29 causing arotary motion to be imparted in a horizontal plane to the lower end of.the rod 38. This causes the nozzle 34 to oscillate about the verticalaxis of the apparatus 9.

The lower wall 15 of the housing 12 has a central hole and a light well61 is secured to the housing bottom 15 by screws 62 in concentricrelation with said hole. The light well 61 has ventilating holes 63 andhas a light receptacle 64 mounted on a floor 65 of said well. Anelectric service cord 66 extends through a grommeted opening 67 in thelight well 61 to the receptacle 64 to energize an electric lamp 68mounted in said receptacle. This lamp may be of any preferred type,although a builtin-reflector type flood lamp is shown in the drawings.

The bottom wall 15 has an opening 70 through which the shaft 71 of anelectric motor 72 extends upwardly, this motor being supported bybrackets 73 which are secured by screws 74 to the bottom wall 15. Fixedon the upper end of the shaft 71 is a pulley 75. Fixed on the wall. 15inside the housing 12 is an arm 76 from which a shaft 77 extendsupwardly, said shaft being located adjacent to the central hole 60 inthe housing bottom wall 15.. Rotatable on the shaft 77 is a filter wheel80 which includes a hub 81, a rim 82 and spokes 83 which connect saidhub and said rim. The hub 81 is externally grooved to cause this toserve as a pulley which is connected to the pulley by an endless belt84. The spokes 83 of the filter wheel divide the area within the rim 82into three equal sectors which are cov- 3 ered by transparent materialof different colors so as to form three individual filters 85, 86 and87. These filters may be of any selected colors desired, but, for thepurpose of illustration, it will be assumed these are respectivelygreen, red and blue.

Referring now to Fig. 7 the wiring system 90 of the invention includesleads L1 and L2 which connect to the primary winding of a transformer 91and to lamp 68 and have a manually operated switch 92 for closing andopening the circuit including said transformer and said lamp. Thetransformer 91 has dual secondary windings 93 and 94 which have variablespeed connections, respectively, with motors 45 and 72, so that thespeed of each of these motors may be varied at will.

The hose 36 is connected with any suitable supply of water and may, ifdesired, be connected to a faucet of a domestic water system and asupply of water to the nozzle 34 thus be controlled from said faucet.

Operation As in all colored fountains, the fountain produced by thisinvention is displayed to best advantage in the dark. It has beenexhibited to good effect, however, in an electrically lighted hall butto get the full richness of the color pattern exhibited therein itshould be shown out of doors and in the dark.

To set the apparatus 9 in operation, to produce the fountain 10, it ismerely necessary to supply water through the hose 36 to the nozzle 34 sothat a stream of desired height is discharged upwardly from said nozzleand to close the switch 92 so as to energize the lamp 68 and the motors45 and 72. The variable secondary windings 93 and 94 of the transformer91 are ordinarily set so that the speed of the motors 45 and 72 is suchas to cause the nozzle 34 to be oscillated and the filter wheel 80 to berotated at the same speed. This speed may vary widely while stillproducing the characteristic color display of the invention, and speedsbetween 300 R, P. M. and 900 R. P. M. have been found to be especiallyeffective.

The water discharged from the nozzle 34 produces a spiral stream 100made up of water droplets which are in free flight upwardly from saidnozzle. Each of these droplets travels upwardly from said nozzle along atrajectory, the character of which is approximately'indieated by thebroken line 101. If an instantaneous photograph were to be made of thefountain 10 in operation, the spiral stream 100 would appear in thephotograph as shown in Fig. 1. In other words, the successive turns ofthe spiral stream 100 are seen to be spaced apart along the axis A ofthe fountain 10, the interval between successive turns beingsubstantially twice the vertical thickness of the stream 100. Bearingthese facts in mind, it is to be noted that the spiral stream 100 isbeing generated continuously so as to progress upwardly whilemaintaining its spiral form. Thus each group of particles dischargedfrom the nozzle 34, which is embraced within a halfturn B of the stream100, travels upwardly successively through the positions occupied instream 100 (Fig. 1) by half-turn C, half-turn D, half-turn E, etc.

The series of groups of particles comprised in halfturns B, C, D and Eare all disposed towards the observer from axis A of the fountain. Whilethere is some overlapping in the illumination of the spiral 100 as onelight filter is followed by another in the path of the light deliveredupwardly from the lamp 68, it may be said for practical purposes thatthe spiral stream 100 is subjected successively to periodicalilluminations by one colored light at a time.

Now let us assume that the spiral stream 100 is positioned as shown inFig. 1, while it is being illuminated with the color green by light fromthe lamp 68 passing through the filter 85 as shown in Fig. 6. Thus thehalfturns B, C, D, E, etc. of the spiral stream 100 will all beilluminated green with these half-turns positioned as shown in Fig. -1.By virtue of the filter rotating at the same speed as the nozzle 34oscillates, the next time the spiral stream is illuminated green,half-turn B will be in the position of half-turn C, half-turn C will bein the position of half-turn D, and half-turn D will be in the positionof half-turn E.

As the fountain continues to operate, therefore, the observer willreceive the optical illusion of seeing the areas 103 (Fig. 2) occupiedby half-turns B, C, D and E in the total area 102 of the fountain 10 asconstantly exhibiting the color green.

By the time the red filter 86 has arrived over the lamp 68 so as toilluminate the entire spiral stream 100 red, this stream will have movedupwardly from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 so that thehalf-turns B, C, D and E will occupy areas 104 (Fig. 2) disposed justupwardly from the areas 103 which were occupied, respectively, by thesehalf-turns when positioned as shown in Fig. 1. As the periodicalillumination of the spiral stream 100 with the color red will alwaysfind corresponding half-turns of this stream in the areas 104, theillusion experienced by the observer will also include the impression ofseeing areas 104 of the total fountain area 102 constantly illuminatedby the color red.

By the time the blue color filter 87 arrives over the light 68, thespiral stream half-turns B, C, D and E are still further advancedupwardly into areas 105 (Fig. 2) and as corresponding half-turns of thestream 100 always occupy these areas when the stream 100 is illuminatedblue, by light from the lamp 68 passing through the blue filter 87, theillusion experienced by the observer also includes the effect of areas105 (Fig. 2) being constantly illuminated with the color blue.

The composite illusion produced in the fountain 10, as shown in Fig. 2,is the constant illumination of the entire area 102 covered by the sprayof said fountain in a pattern in which said entire area is divided onspiral lines into groups of areas each group comprising three areas eachof which is constantly illuminated with one of the three colors embodiedin the color filters 85, 86 and 87.

Where it is preferred to have the pattern shown in Fig. 2 remain fixed,a positive geared or chain drive connection as shown in Fig. 8 isprovided between the mechanisms for oscillating the nozzle 34 androtating the color filter Wheel 80 so that these always oscillate androtate at exactly the same speed.

A modified drive system is shown in Fig. 8 in which a single motor 111drives a filter wheel 112 by the latter being mounted directly on themotor shaft 113 which extends upwardly through a water-tight packing 114and has a sprocket 115 by which it is connected, at a one-to-one ratio,by a chain 116 with a sprocket 117 fixed on a rotary nozzle 118 mountedon the inner race of a sealed ball bearing 119 fixed in a cup 120 fixedon the inner end of a tube 121 through which water is delivered to saidnozzle, and which is fixed on a light stack 122.

The use of separate drives for the nozzle 34 and the filter wheel 80 isfor the purpose of making it optional to either secure the oscillationof the nozzle and rotation of the filter wheel at the same rate or toactuate these at different rates. Where the nozzle 34 is oscillated at aslightly higher rate than the filter wheel 80 is rotated, the stablepattern shown in Fig. 2 is clearly manifested to the observer butappears to rotate in a given direction about the axis A of the fountain10. This makes the various spiral elements in the pattern seem to eitherbe screwing down into the fountain or screwing up out of the fountain.Producing an opposite variation in the rate of actuation of the nozzle34 and the filter wheel 80 produces a rotation of the color pattern inthe opposite direction around the fountain axis A.

The fountain 10 is exhibited with best effect when the upper end of thestack 25 is above the level of the eyes o r avaaiie of the observer andwhen the fountain is located out of doors with a clear space thereabove.This is because it detracts somewhat from the pleasure of seeing thefountain if the flashes of light produced by the rotation of the filterwheel 80 are caught by any surrounding surface so that they are visibleto the observer. If thefountain is displayed in the open the lightflashed upwardly from the lamp 68 brilliantly illuminates the fountainspray as shown in Fig. 2 and is dissipated upwardly without the observerbeing conscious of the periodical change in the illumination of thewater spray 100.

While the invention is herein disclosed as embodied in a fountaindischarging water in the form of a spiral stream, it is to be understoodthat it is capable of use in many other forms. While the successivedischarge of groups of discrete particles in free flight through alighted field is illustrated in Fig. l, with the groups of particlescomprised in half-turns B, C, D and E which follow each otherconsecutively in free flight through the field 102,-it is not necessaryto form a spiral stream in order to get an effect of this generalcharacter.

For instance, a sequence of groups of particles in free flight through alight field to perform the method of this invention may be produced bydelivering water to a stationary nozzle through a valve which rapidlyopens and closes thereby discharging water from said nozzle in spacedspurts each of which spurts would break up into a group of droplets asit left the nozzle and be spaced from other groups preceding andfollowing it. Such groups can be directed upwardly, downwardly or at anyangle desired. The operation of the valve controlling these spurts must,of course, be timed with a light filter performing the same function asthe filter wheel 80 for illuminating the field through which said groupsof droplets formed by said spurts are caused to travel. By such anarrangement, a stratification of the color areas in various shapes maybe produced.

While the invention is applicable especially to liquid fountains, it mayalso be utilized in developing novel color patterns in connection withthe discharge of solid discrete particles in free flight through a lightfield. For instance, light solid particles such as popcorn or pufledwheat may be dropped or blown through such a light field and illuminatedrepeatedly with different colors while in flight to produce suchpatterns.

It is also to be understood that the present invention may be applied tothe illumination of a consecutive series of single discrete particlescaused to travel through a light field and illuminated in accordancewith the method of the invention thereby producing the illusion of linesof light exhibiting a substantially constant color pattern in whichsuccessive sections of each line are differently colored.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be noticed that adjacent turns in thespiral stream 100 are spaced fairly widely apart in the lower portion ofthe spiral just above the nozzle 34 and that these turns thicken andslow up so as to approach each other as they proceed upwardly withconstantly expanding diameter. Thus the adjacent turns of the spiralstream start out when first generated in distinctly spaced relation andthen gradually come closer until they merge towards the top of thespiral.

In the lower portion of the spiral stream 100, the adjacent turnsthereof are spaced apart a distance at least twice the verticalthickness of each turn. Thus the areas 102, 103 and 104 in which saidturns are disposed when they are successively and repeatedly illuminatedwith one or the other of three colors do not substantially overlap eachother. In other words, the particles in thegroups represented byadjacent half-turns of the spiral stream are to all practical purposesexclusively disposed in these respective areas of illumination at thetimes that these areas are illuminated respectively by said colorsflashing consecutively one color at a time. Where the water particles inthe successive half-turns are thus mainly confined within mutuallyexclusive areas during successive illuminations of the light field,these areas exhibit to the observer the illusion of being constantlyilluminated by light of said respective colors.

As the vertical dimensions of adjacent turns of the spiral increase andthe space between these decreases, as they move upwardly, an overlappingoccurs of the adjacent areas in which each of these turns is illuminatedsuccessively with two diiferent colors, the result of this being that inthe overlapping portions of said two areas a color is manifested whichis the result of the mingling of the colors with which the particles insaid areas were separately illuminated.

It is thus to be noted that while preferable to have the consecutivegroups of particles located exclusively in different areas of the lightfield which the latter is successively illuminated by two differentcolors, it is quite practical and sometimes desirable to have theadjacent respective areas, in which a given group of particles is thuslocated while successively illuminated with lights of different colors,to have a marginal overlap and thus create a marginal band of a thirdcolor produced by combination of said first mentioned two colors.

The invention is not limited, therefore, to the consecutive groups ofparticles discharged into the light field being always disposed inmutually exclusive space areas in said field throughout the successiveilluminations of said field.

These areas may overlap somewhat with the result of enhancing ratherthan diminishing the aesthetic merit of the fountain. Two things areneeded to give the illusion of static individual coloring in adjacentareas of the fountain. One is the provision of space intervals betweenconsecutive groups of particles. The other is timing the successivelight flashes with the discharge (or movement) of said groups ofparticles, so that the repetition of the illumination of the light fieldwith each given color finds the series of groups of particles always(about) in the same series of spaced areas in said field.

The flashes of light employed in this invention are substantiallyinstantaneous in that each flash of light endures only a fraction of thetime interval between the discharge of successive groups of particles inthe formation of the fountain. If the fountain nozzle is rotating at 900R. P. M. the time interval between the discharge of successive turns ofthe spiral spray forming the fountain would be about .06 of a second andthe duration of each flash of light would be one-third of this orapproximately .02 of a second. While these flashes of light naturallyhave duration, for practical purposes they may be said to beinstantaneous flashes of light.

The claims are:

1. In a colored fountain, the combination of: means for discharging, inconsecutive spaced relation, groups of discrete particles, at regulartime intervals, in rapid flight along a given path through a given spacefield, there being, at any instant, a plurality of such groups in saidfield; means for brightly illuminating said field with light of a givencolor; and means for actuating said illuminating means in timed relationwith said particle discharging means to repeatedly illuminate said spacefield and the groups of particles disposed in said field at the time ofeach illumination, with a rapid flash of said given colored light, thebeginnings of the flashes of each consecutive pair of the same, beingspaced apart by a time period which is substantially equal to said timeinterval, the duration of each of said individual flashes beingsufliciently shorter than said time interval to prevent the space area,occupied by a given group of particles at the end of one illuminationthereof with said given colored light, from overlapping the space areaoccupied by said group at the beginning of the next followingillumination thereof with said given colored light.

2. In a colored fountain, the combination of: means for discharging, inconsecutive spaced relation, groups of discrete particles, at regulartime intervals, in rapid flight along a given path through a given spacefield, there being at any instant a plurality of such groups in saidfield; means for illuminating said field successively with light ofdifierent colors; and means for actuating said illuminating means intimed relation with said particle discharging means to repeatedlyilluminate said space field, and the groups of particles disposed insaid field at the time of each illumination, with a sequence of rapidflashes of colored light, each flash in said sequence having adistinctive color, the beginnings of successive sequer-res bein: spacedapart by a time period which is substantially equal to said timeinterval, the spacing between centers of successive groups of particlestravelling through said field at a given point in said travel beingsubstantially greater than the product of the depth of a single group ofparticles at said point, measured in the direction of travel of thesame, multiplied by the number of flashes in each sequence.

3. In a colored fountain, the combination of: means for discharging, inconsecutive spaced relation, groups of discrete particles, at regularvery short time intervals, in rapid flight along a given path through agiven space field: means illuminating said field with a series ofinstantaneous flashes of light of distinctly different colors inpredetermined sequence, and means for actuating said means forilluminating said field in timed relation with saidparticle dischargingmeans to illuminate said space field with said series of flashes duringeach such time interval, whereby each group is illuminated with light ofa particular color only while it is moving through a series ofpredetermined spaced positions through which said group passes in itstravel through said field, the positions in which said group isilluminated with light of one color being located between the positionsin which said group is illuminated with light of a different color.

4. In a colored fountain, the combination of: means for discharging, inconsecutive spaced relation, groups of discrete particles, at regularvery short time intervals, in rapid flight along a given path through agiven space field; means for illuminating said field successively withlight of diiferent colors; means for actuating said illuminating meansin timed relation with said particle discharging means to illuminatesaid space field duringeach such time interval with a given sequence ofrapid flashes of colored light, adjacent flashes in said sequence havingdistinctly difierent colors; and means for varying the relative timingof said particle discharge means and said illuminating means to rendersaid two means slightly out of phase and then bring them back intophase.

In a colored fountain, the combination of: a nozzle; means foroscillating said nozzle rapidly, whereby water supplied thereto underhigh pressure is discharged in the form of a spiral of water particles,adjacent turns of which spiral comprise groups of said particles whichtravel consecutively in spaced relation away from said nozzle; means forilluminating said spiral of water particles; and means for actuatingsaid illuminating means in timed rela tion with said oscillation of saidnozzle to illuminate said spiral only during the same fractional portionof each of the successive oscillation cycles of said nozzle with a flashof light, said repeated flashes of light giving said spiral theappearance of standing still in the area said spiral occupies duringsaid illuminating flashes of light.

6. A combination as in claim 5 in which said illuminating meansilluminates said spiral with a sequence of light flashes during eachoscillation cycle, adjacent flashes in said sequence having distinctlydifferent colors.

7. A combination as in claim 5 in which said nozzle is mounted forrotation about a given axis while inclined from said axis; and means forrotating said nozzle rapidly to produce oscillation thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,728,456 Stuewe Sept. 17, 1929 1,802,082 Kloppe Apr. 21, 1931 2,537,048Giblet Jan. 9, 1951

